Standing Firm: What Augustine Teaches Us About Faith, Evil, and Sovereign Grace

As we continue our journey through the origins of the early Church, it is striking how much their world mirrors ours. To become a Christian in the Roman world often meant taking on a death sentence. Early believers were not executed for breaking social laws or harming their neighbors; in fact, they were consistently the most compassionate, law-abiding citizens in their cities. Their only "crime" was their allegiance: they worshipped no local idols, no conqueror’s gods, and no emperor. They confessed one Lord, and His name was Jesus.

When public crises hit the Roman Empire, Christians were blamed for abandoning the traditional gods. Even after Constantine legitimized Christianity and placed believers in positions of political privilege, culture and politics continued to collide with theology. Government authority was used to direct church doctrine, leading to intense debates. While we do not face state-sponsored exile or physical martyrdom for our faith today, we still face the exact same underlying battles over truth, authority, and scripture.

Wrestling with God: The Journey of Augustine

Throughout history, God has raised up key defenders of the faith—often individuals who did not grow up in the Church. Champions like Jerome and Augustine lived promiscuous lives in their youth, searching through various philosophies before having a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

Augustine became the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa during a time of immense cultural upheaval. In AD 410, Rome was sacked by the Goths, sending shockwaves through the empire. Jerome wrote from Palestine, "If Rome can perish, what can be safe?" Twenty years later, as Augustine lay dying in Hippo, eighty thousand troops surrounded his city.

Yet, in the middle of shifting civilizations, Augustine wrote profoundly about the human heart. At age thirty-two, when considering total surrender to God, he confessed:

"When I thought of devoting myself entirely to you, my God… it was I that wished to do it and I that wished not to do it."

If you have ever felt that internal tug-of-war, you are in good company. Apostle Paul described this exact struggle in Romans 7:15: "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."

How do we overcome this conflict? Is it simply a matter of gritting our teeth and trying harder? Augustine rightly observed that loving God is never reduced to deeds of obedience or acts of willpower. Real transformation begins somewhere much deeper.

The Mystery of Free Will and Evil

Augustine wrestled deeply with three core questions that we still ask today: the authority of Scripture, the origin of evil, and the nature of free will.

If God is infinitely good, why does evil exist? Augustine explained that God created human will good and free, but free will is capable of making bad decisions. Evil originates from the bad choices of human hearts.

Scripture confirms this reality:

• Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
  
  
• Mark 7:20-23: Jesus taught that evil thoughts, theft, envy, and pride do not originate from external environment alone, but flow directly out of the human heart.
  
  

Before the Fall, humanity was free both to sin and not to sin. Following the Fall, our unredeemed nature remains captive to sin. But through Christ, grace restores our freedom so that we are once again capable of choosing righteousness.

The Power of Sovereign Grace and Delight

Augustine also addressed church conflicts over religious purity. When certain leaders fell away under persecution, some argued that any baptisms or sacraments performed by those leaders were invalid. Augustine countered that the validity of God's grace does not depend on the moral perfection of human ministers—because God Himself is the ultimate author of salvation.

This deep understanding of grace profoundly influenced later reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin, as well as John Wesley’s understanding of God's seeking grace. Augustine beautifully defined this reality: Grace is God’s giving us sovereign joy in God that triumphs over joy in sin.

When Jesus says in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will obey what I command," He is not offering a cold transaction. Keeping Christ’s commandments is the natural result of loving Him. As 1 John 5:3 reminds us, His commands are not burdensome when our hearts are made new.

Loving God is being so satisfied in God, and so delighted in all that He is for us, that His commandments cease to be burdensome.

Everything in our spiritual walk springs from delight. What we truly treasure is what ultimate guides and governs our decisions. While theologians defend the faith in academic halls, the greatest witness for Christ has always been regular, ordinary believers who go to work, pay their taxes, love their neighbors, and find their ultimate delight in Jesus.

Where does your heart find its primary delight today? When you struggle with your will, invite God's grace to realign your desires, so that serving Him becomes your greatest joy.

Originally delivered 2023.02.05